


love shot

by sunshinedm



Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, tipsy boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:33:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24135136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinedm/pseuds/sunshinedm
Summary: The night should’ve ended differently. It should’ve been Jaemin and Yukhei’s arms wrapped around Mark, legs tangled under sheets, some Disney movie playing in the background. It should’ve been something sweet, only for them, but things were different now and Mark only had himself to blame.
Relationships: Mark Lee/Na Jaemin/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 8
Kudos: 17





	love shot

**Author's Note:**

> the alternate title for this is "tequiling me slowly" do with that information what you will. hope you enjoy this rollercoaster! the idea stemmed from my friend vero and the story wrote itself from there lol

The night should’ve ended differently. It should’ve been Jaemin and Yukhei’s arms wrapped around Mark, legs tangled under sheets, some Disney movie playing in the background. It should’ve been something sweet, only for them, but things were different now and Mark only had himself to blame.

Mark has spent the last few weeks carefully constructing an ample distance between himself and the rest of the world, avoiding the two boys he’d normally never be able to live even a second without as much as he could. Yet, he doesn’t even have the heart to feel surprised when it all comes crumbling as soon as he runs into Yukhei.

Life without Yukhei and Jaemin had been avoiding their favorite places, it’d been parties every weekend, extra work hours. Life without them had been distracting himself with assignments and anything that helped him forget, even though it never worked too well. Progress almost seemed futile since there was always something that brought him back to square one.

That afternoon, he’d chosen to accept his fate and attend some party his lab partner was hosting. He should’ve known he’d run into Yukhei and by default, Jaemin, after all their circles never ran too far. He should’ve known he’d have no resolve as soon as he saw them.

Mark had gone into the night thinking he’d be passed out before the sun rose, strewn across some stranger’s bed. Instead, the two boys who’ve caused the chaos of the night’s outing are draped on the steps of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial downing a bottle of tequila they’ve swiped from his friend’s party while Mark watches, sat on the top step. He hopes he can pretend the distance he’s forged doesn’t exist, just for the night.

“I’m going to be honest, I’m missing the shitty couch in our dorm really bad right now. My back hurts like hell,” Yukhei whines. He takes up a huge amount of space on the steps and he’s crouched in a way that Mark can tell is uncomfortable.

Jaemin takes a swig and nods in agreement. “If we’re being honest here, then I’m going to say what we’ve both been thinking for some time now.”

Yukhei and Mark turn to look at him, awaiting his confession patiently, wide brown eyes twinkling with curiosity. It places a sinking feeling in Jaemin’s chest, like he’s already regretting the words that come next and perhaps there will never be enough alcohol to make him forget how vulnerable he’s chosen to be then.

“I miss the old Mark,” Jaemin’s eyes are glued to the floor once he says this, drunk enough to let the words slip from his tongue but not enough to ignore the way the words sting as they leave him. 

The silence that’d surrounded them before turns awkward at his words and it proves Jaemin’s theory correct. The smiles have vanished from both boys’ faces within the second.

“You miss the old me?” Mark’s voice is nothing but a whisper but Jaemin can hear the hurt leaking from each syllable. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ve been avoiding us for weeks now, Min,” Yukhei sighs, his eyes hold the words he’s too kind to say. 

Mark wishes he’d just lash out, that he’d call him out for all the times Mark had avoided his calls, his greetings in the hallways. Maybe then he would be forced to face the feelings that threatened to spill from his chest, maybe then it’d hurt a little less, but Mark knew the thought would never even cross Yukhei’s mind. Yukhei always dealt with his feelings himself, he’d never let Mark know how much it hurt. Yukhei would carry the world on his shoulders for his entire life if it meant keeping the burden from Mark and Jaemin.

“Don’t do that,” Jaemin shakes his head, a frown creased between his brows. “Don’t hide from him, Hei. He needs to see the state you’re in because of him.”

Yukhei doesn’t flinch away from Jaemin when he reaches for his face. “Look at him Mark. Those are dark circles, that’s sleep deprivation, waiting for you to come home. His eyes? They’re not red from the alcohol- he’s not even drunk yet, they’re from his tears. He cries every night hidden in his room, wondering what he could’ve done to push you away. He didn’t do anything Mark, I know he didn’t but he doesn’t know that. Why are _you_ okay when he’s like this?”

A tear falls from Jaemin’s eye and Yukhei is quick to catch it, his thumb rubs circles into his skin, “I’m here” it says.

“Why are you okay when we’re like this?” His voice cracks and he only manages to put the bottle of tequila down before the sobs begin wracking his chest. “Why won’t you come back home Mark?”

“God. Jaemin, I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry please don’t cry,” Mark has to stop himself from reaching for Jaemin, afraid to make things worse. Yukhei is closer and quicker, he’s pulled Jaemin into his arms faster than Mark has even realized the situation. “Please don’t hurt because of me.”

“It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?” Jaemin means for the words to hurt, for them to cut the way Mark’s absence has but they fall flat, meaningless and thin. Somehow it hurts Mark even more, Jaemin not being able to hate him when he’s done nothing but cause him pain. It aches more than harsh words and sharp tears.

“I’m scared,” Mark chokes out. He can’t meet either of their eyes and he wrings his hands over and over again. “I don’t know where I fit in with you guys anymore. You’re obviously made for each other. You should see the way Yukhei smiles when he hears your name, the way his eyes light up when you walk in the room. He loves you so much Jaemin.”

Mark looks at Yukhei and smiles sadly. “Maybe one day you’ll get to read all the letters he’s written for you, the ones where he promises you the world and all of the stars. Maybe you’ll realize that the reason Jaemin stopped riding the bus home was because he just wanted to spend more time with you. Jaemin loves taking the bus home, he loves to people watch and guess which stops they’ll get off on but he’d do anything for you, Hei.”

“Oh, Mark,” Jaemin cries, he wipes at his tears in a futile attempt to stop them from falling.

“No. Let me finish,” Mark looks out at the sunrise, the way the water shimmers beneath the changing sky. He takes a few deep breaths in and out, mentally preparing for the words that come next. “I’m in love with you, the both of you. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry I managed to mess up like this but I wanted to will it away. I thought it’d leave. I thought I’d come back after a few days and everything would be okay but it just keeps getting worse and worse and I don’t know what to do anymore. Being away just makes me wish I had you even more.”

Mark is met with silence from the other two boys so he chokes out an awkward laugh, just to have something else in the air. “This is ridiculous. This sunrise is so breathtaking and yet here I am, wasting our time and rambling on like a fool.”

Jaemin and Yukhei look at Mark, eyes settled on the boy they’ve both fallen in love with. He is much more breathtaking, much more moving than any ordinary sunrise. 

Their responses come one after the other, Yukhei’s a lot nicer than Jaemin’s.

“Mark, you’re not a fool.”

“You’re an idiot.”

Jaemin slips out of Yukhei’s arms to close the distance between him and his other boy. He wraps his arms around Mark, who begins to cry as soon as he feels Jaemin’s arms around him. “You fit. You fit into our lives and into our arms and into the spaces between us two. You’re our missing piece Mark. Can’t you see that?”

“What?” Mark sniffles.

“When I confessed to you at the party, that I had a crush on Yukhei, the plan was to tell you I liked you too,” Jaemin whispers. He smiles when he feels Yukhei’s arms around him, the three of them in each other’s arms like they’ve always been, like they’re meant to be. “You just said you needed air and rushed out and well I thought maybe it was the party that was overwhelming you, so I grabbed Yukhei as fast I could and chased after you.”

“You should’ve seen how worried he was,” Yukhei adds on and he manages to lift the mood with his soft giggles, rocking them both in his arms.

“You can’t make fun of me, I have nothing to hide anymore,” Jaemin huffs and upturns his chin, only breaking a smile when he hears Mark giggling along.

“You were worried about me?” Mark takes a count of three and when he speaks again the vulnerability is clear in his voice. “Even after everything?”

This entire time he’d been avoiding them, all out of the fear that he wasn’t needed anymore, that he didn’t have a place. Yet here the two people who meant the most to him were, telling him he was the piece they’ve been missing this entire time.

The city is silent as Yukhei speaks his next words, or maybe it is only that the rest of the world tunes itself out of Mark’s ears, unimportant in comparison to him. 

“There was always that empty space we couldn’t fill, that awkward silence, the moments where we’d pass by our favorite ice cream shop and we’d ask for the flavor you like just out of habit. We don’t even like cookies and cream,” Yukhei and Jaemin laugh but Mark stays silent. Yukhei is bearing his soul to him with these words, these admissions that he’d been hurt by Mark’s absence even when he’d presented them like this. 

“What Yukhei is trying to say is that we missed you so much, especially when you just up and left without a word. It was like one day you’d woken up and decided we weren’t enough for you anymore,” Jaemin pulls away from Mark so that he can look him in the eyes. “You seemed okay without us but we were so broken without you.”

Yukhei nods and grimaces. “Jaemin wouldn’t even let me cuddle him.”

“Hei, we agreed we wouldn’t bring that up,” Jaemin whines. He is quick to tug Yukhei’s arms from his waist and pout. “Mark don’t you dare tease me I will end you right here, right now.”

“Oh you big baby, you love cuddles. You practically begged for them every time we hung out. Why would you deny cuddles from Yukhei of all people?” Mark genuinely looks concerned as he says this and it brings a fond smile to Jaemin’s face.

“It didn’t feel right without you.”

Mark immediately stands up and grins down at his two boys, their eyes twinkle as they stare back up at him, a little sleep deprived, a little tequila glazed. “Well then I think we should make up for some lost time and head home for cuddles.”

Jaemin is up in a matter of seconds, tugging Yukhei up with him and holding his other hand out for Mark to take. “It _is_ getting very late isn’t it? I think we should be getting home now! I want to be cuddled. Hei, let's go!”

The walk home is quiet for the most part, the streets have cleared except for the occasional passerby and the boys are silent, lost in the feeling of being complete again. Plus, Jaemin is already in the clouds, dreaming of cuddles and there aren’t any puppies out this late for Yukhei to ramble on about. 

Mark takes the walk to let the moment sink in, to let himself bask in the happiness that filled him whenever he was with his boys, just them three.

“I’m really happy you’re back,” Yukhei whispers, only for Mark to hear. They’ve finally made it home and Jaemin is too preoccupied trying to open the door of their dorm room without making too much noise to catch on. 

Mark squeezes Yukhei’s hand in his. “I’m sorry.”

Yukhei shakes his head. “It’s okay, for now. We’ll have to face this sometime- clear the air, but for now, I’ve missed Jaemin cuddles a little too much for my own liking.”

Mark nods, the ghost of a smile on his face. “Yeah, so have I.”

Jaemin’s timing must be perfect. As soon as the boys step into their dorm, Jaemin is already whining and calling for them. “If I’m not being cuddled within the next minute I’m going to be _really_ sad!”

“Guess we should hurry up then,” Yukhei grins and he’s already racing Mark to their room.

“First one there gets a kiss!” Mark yells as he breaks into the hallway, Yukhei only manages a laugh, seconds behind him.

The night hasn’t ended the way it’d been planned but the rising sun brings a promise of something beautiful for their future. A shot for the start of something new.

**Author's Note:**

> if you'd like to leave me a cc you can send it to sunshinedm! i hope you liked it !


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